IFG Stock 1 turd polish?

[IHAVEGAS]

Bought a new stock 1 sight unseen, the slide to frame fit is really nasty and the bench rest groups are just bad. Own 4 other Tanfo's and have bought and sold a couple more besides so this is not me expecting a mass production gun to be as tight as a high dollar custom. 

 

Am wondering if I am just hosed on this one or if there is something that can be done about it. 

 

Any thoughts welcome. Talked to PD about getting a new barrel fitted (don't see a S1 barrel listed on their site but maybe an S3 barrel cut and crowned would work), they were flat out honest and I figure with the slide-frame fit as sloppy as it is I would be throwing good money after bad. 

[MikeBurgess]

14 minutes ago, IHAVEGAS said:

Bought a new stock 1 sight unseen, the slide to frame fit is really nasty and the bench rest groups are just bad. Own 4 other Tanfo's and have bought and sold a couple more besides so this is not me expecting a mass production gun to be as tight as a high dollar custom. 

 

Am wondering if I am just hosed on this one or if there is something that can be done about it. 

 

Any thoughts welcome. Talked to PD about getting a new barrel fitted (don't see a S1 barrel listed on their site but maybe an S3 barrel cut and crowned would work), they were flat out honest and I figure with the slide-frame fit as sloppy as it is I would be throwing good money after bad. 

With Iron sights slide to frame fit is a minor part of accuracy its all about barrel to slide fit, also the slop on Tanfo slide can feel bad but actuallyy because of the length of engagement (full length rails) not actually allow for much angular displacement. 

 

So my big question would be how is the barrel lock up? can you wiggle the muzzle of the barrel around when its in battery (empty gun) if its loose a new barrel can be helpful and PD has appropriate barrels, if not you may want to try recrowning the stock barrel, there could easily be a issue there.

 

but all that said if its a truly horrible fit gun maybe you could get it replaced under warranty?

[IHAVEGAS]

18 minutes ago, MikeBurgess said:

With Iron sights slide to frame fit is a minor part of accuracy its all about barrel to slide fit, also the slop on Tanfo slide can feel bad but actuallyy because of the length of engagement (full length rails) not actually allow for much angular displacement. 

 

So my big question would be how is the barrel lock up? can you wiggle the muzzle of the barrel around when its in battery (empty gun) if its loose a new barrel can be helpful and PD has appropriate barrels, if not you may want to try recrowning the stock barrel, there could easily be a issue there.

 

but all that said if its a truly horrible fit gun maybe you could get it replaced under warranty?

 

Thank you. 

PD told me if the slide to frame is really crappy the barrel change would not help much and I got the impression they had experience with this, I am not debating your comment just noting that I've heard a different take. Am anxious to send them one of my S3's the next time I see a sale on parts or shop work and see what happens with a good shooting gun. 

Barrel lock up seems fine when compared to the other 4 Tanfo's I have on hand.

Chasing warranty sounds like a good idea, was a bit pessimistic as the warrantable accuracy numbers I've seen on other mass production guns are pretty loose, 6" circle at 20 yards kind of thing. Playing with the crown may also be a good idea but I'm hesitant to put more money into the gun or make irreversible changes until I have explored all options. 

[MikeBurgess]

32 minutes ago, IHAVEGAS said:

 

Thank you. 

PD told me if the slide to frame is really crappy the barrel change would not help much and I got the impression they had experience with this, I am not debating your comment just noting that I've heard a different take. Am anxious to send them one of my S3's the next time I see a sale on parts or shop work and see what happens with a good shooting gun. 

Barrel lock up seems fine when compared to the other 4 Tanfo's I have on hand.

Chasing warranty sounds like a good idea, was a bit pessimistic as the warrantable accuracy numbers I've seen on other mass production guns are pretty loose, 6" circle at 20 yards kind of thing. Playing with the crown may also be a good idea but I'm hesitant to put more money into the gun or make irreversible changes until I have explored all options. 

I won't argue with PDs opinion and it is all a matter of degrees, without hands on its hard to know how bad we are talking about.

 

I also was not thinking about how on Tanfoglios you have less control over the barrel lockup than with 1911s so that likely plays into the issue of bad frame fit not being able to be remedied by proper barrel fit, as it is unlikely that the loose fitment will be in a direction that will allow the barrel to lock up constantly anyway. 

 

I wish you luck with it, hopefully IFG will help you out

[je85]

Sorry to hear that. I have the IFG import stock 1 and it is great. I got mine when they first released it so QC could have gotten worse since then. Tanfoglio has always been up and down on QC unfortunately.

[je85]

I would highly recommend sending it to patriot defense to have them look it over to see if it's worth sticking any money into it or if tanfoglio will take it in under warranty. 

[IHAVEGAS]

4 hours ago, je85 said:

Sorry to hear that. I have the IFG import stock 1 and it is great. 

Good to know that. If I could get happy with it I think they are a pretty cool gun. It may go to PD for evaluation (assuming they do that) depending on where I get with contacting IFG

Edited April 20, 2021 by IHAVEGAS

[HesedTech]

22 hours ago, IHAVEGAS said:

It may go to PD for evaluation

 

Love the PD people and have purchased a bunch of stuff from them (including guns). However, another option is J and L Gunsmithing. https://www.jandlgunsmithing.com/products

 

Years ago he did a new barrel fit for me on a TF and milled a front sight slot.

[gnappi]

Since you have four other tanfos, have you tried swapping the entire slides or just barrels to the new one to try and narrow down the issue?

 

 

[IHAVEGAS]

11 hours ago, gnappi said:

Since you have four other tanfos, have you tried swapping the entire slides or just barrels to the new one to try and narrow down the issue?

 

 

Thank you for the suggestion. The slide to frame fit is so bad that if you do a quick upward transition with the gun you hear a click when the gun stops moving. I ain't no gunsmith but I don't think we are talking rocket surgery figuring out the problem. 

 

Have a question emailed to PD, will see what they think. Wish they hadn't been out of stock when I was gun shopping.

 

Also called IFG. They want proof that the gun is owned legally before moving forward, since it is a gun broker deal their is no sales receipt, not sure if my FFL will find a copy of the transfer form but that may or may not work for them. 

 

There is much to be said for buying from brick and mortar or from people you trust. 

[IHAVEGAS]

Just FYI stuff, heard back from IFG. Figured I was hosed on any warranty since I bought the gun second hand off of gunbroker, but some of the manufacturers are so good about that stuff it seemed worth asking. Was surprised that any stock 1 with the new style frame would be considered old, didn't think they had been around more than a few years and I was surprised that grips and new sights (sights are not press fit on this gun, loosen screws and they slide out with finger pressure only) would be a violation of any warranty, regardless I have nothing to complain about (except for the gun itself). 

 

*******************

As the warranty only applies to the first and original owner, there is no circumstance in which this model will be covered under any sort of factory warranty.   Based on the serial number, this gun is quite old (one of our first imports) and the pics indicate that it’s been modified from the original factory configuration.   If you would like to tighten the gun up, there are many gunsmiths in the USA that specialize in refurbishment of these type guns. Unfortunately there is no warranty coverage for this type work and we cannot be held responsible for condition of used merchandise found through secondary sales outlets. 

Justin Dodd
Chief of Operations
IFG

******************

 

On the bright side, if I could get the thing right I really like the look and feel. 

 

 

[N7VY]

Well, now we know. I know it isn’t what you wanted but we’ve all have known that Tanfo’s are a one way pistol. Very little or no warranty service. 
 

I did see somebody saying that to tighten up their tanfo they hammered a bit on the frame.

[IHAVEGAS]

9 hours ago, N7VY said:

 

I did see somebody saying that to tighten up their tanfo they hammered a bit on the frame.

 

Seems like I remember there was something people did for worn out slides on 1911's - and maybe it was "The Glock in competition" where I read about getting the hammer out as you mentioned. 

[GrumpyOne]

2 hours ago, IHAVEGAS said:

 

Seems like I remember there was something people did for worn out slides on 1911's - and maybe it was "The Glock in competition" where I read about getting the hammer out as you mentioned. 

They have them accurailed.

 

http://www.acc-u-rail.com/

[IHAVEGAS]

6 minutes ago, GrumpyOne said:

They have them accurailed.

 

http://www.acc-u-rail.com/

Thank you. Doesn't appear that for Tanfo's it is an option, but it might be worth a call and ask to make sure depending on how things develop.

 

[GrumpyOne]

51 minutes ago, IHAVEGAS said:

Thank you. Doesn't appear that for Tanfo's it is an option, but it might be worth a call and ask to make sure depending on how things develop.

 

Maybe you could be the guinea pig and start them on another avenue of business. Worth a shot, anyway.

[IHAVEGAS]

2 hours ago, GrumpyOne said:

Maybe you could be the guinea pig and start them on another avenue of business. Worth a shot, anyway.

 

Agreed. 

Great thing about my love life, I've learned to get used to rejection. 

[shred]

Squeezing and beating and peening on slide and frame rails was de-rigueur in the 1911 competition world when all you had was sloppy factory guns.  Find an old 1911 smith that has the tools gathering dust somewhere and see what they can do.

 

[IHAVEGAS]

13 hours ago, shred said:

Squeezing and beating and peening on slide and frame rails was de-rigueur in the 1911 competition world when all you had was sloppy factory guns.  Find an old 1911 smith that has the tools gathering dust somewhere and see what they can do.

 

 

Sounds like a great thing for me to learn more about. I think I've got an old 1911 gun smithing book laying around somewhere. No implying that I would do it myself but I would like to understand methods and drawbacks. Makes me wonder about GrumpyOne's thought that this could be another avenue of business for somebody with the skills and equipment, you don't need a bullseye gun for IDPA/USPSA but everyone likes an accurate gun. 

[MikeBurgess]

Rich at Canyon Creek Custom used to weld and re-machine Tanfoglios for better fit up. Pretty sure he is retired now.  I would suspect he welded up the slide and recut it to fit the frame because of the way the slide sits in the frame. If your handy and have a mill it would be a fun project

 

[Aiden]

I was reading through this and seeing a lot of the old school suggestions for tightening up 1911 frame rails. Then everyone chimed in...

 

Back in the old days, you hit it with a hammer until it was better. There was more to it but the principle is sound. 

 

Weld and recut the rails sounds like a solid option if you can find someone who can be precise. That'll tighten up any fit for sure.

 

[IHAVEGAS]

16 hours ago, Aiden said:

I was reading through this and seeing a lot of the old school suggestions for tightening up 1911 frame rails. Then everyone chimed in...

 

Back in the old days, you hit it with a hammer until it was better. There was more to it but the principle is sound. 

 

Weld and recut the rails sounds like a solid option if you can find someone who can be precise. That'll tighten up any fit for sure.

 

At this point I'm not sure if it would be more fun to try and fix it or to take it to gun shows - "yep, this right here is what your $900.00 gets you if you aren't lucky, apparently the factory q.c. check is to turn the gun upside down and if the slide doesn't fall off it is good to go". 

 

Will probably just put it away until my petulance wains. 

[IHAVEGAS]

Ended up sending the gun to PD to see if they thought it was worth a new PD barrel, they did, should have some rounds through it next week. 

[N7VY]

We’ll keep us posted Gas, on your progress. Inquiring minds want to know

Edited June 17, 2021 by N7VY

[Superkaratemonkeyfighter]

good luck brother.